Queen Camilla’s son provides health update on King Charles and labels his mother ‘tough’

Queen Camilla’s son has issued a fresh health update on his stepfather the King ahead of the royal tour to Australia and Samoa.

Tom Parker-Bowles, the 49-year-old son of Camilla and ex-British Army officer Andrew Parker-Bowles, is currently travelling the UK as he promotes his new cookery book, Cooking and The Crown.

Both his parents were in the building for the official launch of the book – set to cover iconic recipes enjoyed by the Royal Family since the 19th century.

Some of the dishes Parker-Bowles has covered include Queen Camilla’s porridge, George V’s curry, and the King’s “wet martini” – a mix of equal parts gin and dry vermouth.

At the launch, the Queen’s son gave a heartfelt thanks to Charles and Camilla for their support while working on the recipes.

His latest literary venture – his ninth publication – has seen him carry out a number of engagements on a nationwide press tour, and now, Parker-Bowles has provided a rare insight into how the King is faring.

Charles has been receiving outpatient treatment since being diagnosed with cancer in February this year.

And as the King gears up to travel halfway round the world on a landmark Australian tour, Parker-Bowles has confirmed Charles’s “treatment is going well”.

He also shared that Camilla was coping well as she supports her husband, adding: “She’s tough, my mother”.

The King and Queen will arrive in Australia on October 18, where they will spend six days completing a slate of public appearances.

But of those six, only three days will see the King make any official engagements in order to give him sufficient time to rest.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said of the trip: “We’ve had to, as you would with any visit, think about how you can ensure their majesties’ energies are preserved to be at their best.

There had been some hope earlier in the year for their majesties to be able to visit New Zealand and, on doctor’s advice, that unfortunately wasn’t able to take place.

“We’ve had to make some tough decisions with the Australian Government where [their majesties] can get to.”

After Australia, the pair are jetting off to – relatively – nearby Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) before returning to the UK on October 26.